The Life of a Fig

Happy Friday! I’m still figuring out how to set up my website but so far, so good. I miss blogging and I thought it was time to start again. Starting with my top 5 most popular dishes on Lemon8.

Creamy Garlic Parmesan Rigatoni

Ingredients

Grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 bag of rigatoni pasta

4 tbsp butter

6 garlic cloves minced

1-1.5 cup heavy cream or half & half

Salt & black pepper, dried thyme

Reserved pasta water (about 1/4 cup)

Garnish with herbs like parsley, dill, etc

Instructions

Boil pasta in salted water until just shy of al dente. Reserve 1/4 cup pasta water before draining. In a pan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add garlic and cook gently until fragrant (don’t let it brown). Stir in cream and let it simmer for 2-3 minutes to thicken slightly.

Add Parmesan and stir until smooth and melty. Season with salt and pepper then add thyme. Add drained rigatoni and a splash of pasta water. Toss to coat until pasta is creamy. Finish with fresh herbs and extra parmesan.

Baked Rigatoni

Ingredients

1 can of San Marzano tomatoes or 1 jar of passata

5 belgiosio mozzarella snack cheeses

2 tbsps organic cento tomato paste

1 Ib of Italian sausage

1/2 white onion chopped

5 garlic cloves chopped

Celtic sea salt + grounded peppercorns, pinch of each 2 tbsp Oregano

2 tbsp Basil

2 tbsp Parsley

1 tbsp Ground sage

Red chili flakes, pinch (depending on preference)

Instructions

Start frying onions until transparent, then add chopped garlic. Add in 1 tosp tomato paste. In another pot, start cooking the pasta accordingly to package but remember to cook until al dente for baking. Add in the seasonings to onions and garlic. Fry Italian sausage in another pan. Cook accordingly until brown. Add extra salt and pepper if desired. Add in 1 can of San Marzano tomatoes or 1 jar of passata. Stir and add in 1 tbsp of tomato paste. Let it simmer for a few minutes.

Drain the Italian sausage from the pan and add into sauce. Once al dente, add pasta to sauce and sausage in a baking dish. Add the mozzarella cheeses all over to pasta. Put aluminum foil over pasta to bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, depending on your stove. I’ve put it uncovered in the oven for 5 minutes to get an even cheesier pasta.

Crab Pot Pie

Ingredients

8 snow crab legs (meat from legs & body)

2 puff pastries

1/2 cup frozen corn whole kernel

8 small red potatoes, diced

4 colorful carrots, diced

1 sweet onion, diced

8 garlic cloves, pressed

4 tbsp unsalted butter

1 egg (for egg wash)

1.5 cups half & half

2.5 cups low sodium chicken broth

1/2 lemon, juice & zest

1 tsp dried dill, marjoram, cayenne pepper, onion powder, sea salt & cracked pepper

4 tbsp flour

Instructions

Begin melting butter in Dutch oven, add onions and garlic.

Cook until translucent. Add carrots and potatoes to Dutch oven. Cook for 10 minutes until softened. Add half & half, chicken stock, lemon juice, zest, and add flour a little at a time. Then add crab meat, frozen corn, dried spices, and stir all together. Let cook for 5 minutes.

On a clean surface, sprinkle flour and roll out the pastry puff dough. Place dough over pie dishes and/or ramekins and glaze egg wash on top of puff pastries. Bake in oven on 425 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until puff pastry is golden.

Angel Hair Shrimp Pasta

Ingredients

1 box Angel hair pasta (used half of the box)

For the shrimp

1/2 bag of frozen raw shrimp

Old Bay lemon & herb seasoning

Sea salt flakes & ground peppercorn

Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

For the cream sauce:

2 tbsp butter

Grated parmigiano reggiano

Half & half

Fresh parsley

1/2 of a large lemon (for juice & zest)

Organic all purpose flour

Sea salt & ground peppercorn

Instructions

Cook angel hair according to package. Wash and pat dry shrimp with paper towel. Make sure to coat your shrimp with seasonings. Then add EVOO to Dutch oven or pan and cook until shrimps are pink. Set on plate to the side.

In the same pan, melt butter, add sea salt, and ground peppercorn. Stir around until all ingredients are combined.

Add half and half, as much Parmesan you’d like, and stir all together. Add flour if you’d like to thicken it up. Then squeeze lemon juice. Combine pasta, cream sauce, and shrimp. Garnish with parsley.

Instant Pot Mediterranean Rub Pot Roast

Ingredients

1.5 Ibs of beef roast (it sounds big but cooks down)

1 bundle of organic carrots, chopped

1 tbsp Greek oregano

2 tbsp Marjoram

2 tbsp Sage

1 tbsp Ground peppercorns

1 tbsp Celtic sea salt

1 garlic bulb, chopped

1/2 large red onion, julienned 2 tbsps Worcestershire sauce

1 Beef bullion cube and 1 cup of water

1 cup of water (seems like a lot of water but it’s for gravy)

Pinches of corn starch

Splash of Cabernet Sauvignon

1 small bag of yellow potatoes, halved

Organic half and half, I just use as much depending on how thick I want the mashed potatoes

3 tbsp Irish butter

1 tsp Celtic salt and ground peppercorns

Optional: garnish with freeze dried chives or fresh chopped chives

Instructions

Start with the sauté function on the Instant Pot for 20 minutes. Rub down the beef starting with marjoram, sage, oregano, salt, and ground peppercorns. Begin by sauteing the red onions until translucent. Next, begin searing the beef until browned on all sides. Add Cabernet, worcestershire sauce, beef bouillon cube and 1 cup of water. Lastly, add the carrots and chopped garlic in the pot then stir. Set for meat/stew function for 30 minutes on high pressure. Let natural release.

Gravy
Grab a ladle amount of beef liquid from instant pot and heat in a small pan. Put to medium setting and add corn starch. I used a small whisk to get gravy texture. Stir until desired texture.

Mashed Potatoes

In a separate pot, boil the water, then add the golden potatoes, let them cook on high for about 15-20 minutes.

Then drain the water from the pot. Start mashing the potatoes, add half and half, then stir. Add butter, salt, and pepper.

Enjoy!